HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than $505,000 in grants were recently awarded to help Pennsylvania's rural communities guard against the threat of fires in forests and other undeveloped areas, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced today.

"A total of 130 volunteer fire companies, all serving rural areas and communities where forest and brush fires are common, will benefit from these funds," DCNR Acting Secretary Ellen Ferretti said. "One only has to look outside Pennsylvania earlier this summer to the horrific fires in Arizona and other states to appreciate the value of well-equipped and highly trained wildfire fighters."

Local firefighting forces in rural areas or communities with fewer than 10,000 residents qualified to apply for the aid. Last year, the grant program awarded $540,000 to 141 fire companies across the state.

"The readiness of these men and women is demonstrated every spring and summer when they answer assistance calls coming from other states, while also responding regularly to local woodland and brush fires," Ferretti said. "These grants allow firefighters from smaller companies to direct more funding toward public safety and training."

Grants and other assistance were provided through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Bureau of Forestry, with funding supplied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service. The maximum grant awarded was $7,500.

The grants will be used to purchase wildfire-suppression equipment and protective clothing.

Grants also were awarded for mobile or portable radios, water supply installations, wildfire prevention and mitigation, wildfire fighting training, and to convert and maintain federal excess vehicles the bureau receives and uses for fire suppression.

Grant information can be obtained from the Bureau of Forestry's Division of Forest Fire Protection in Harrisburg. Call 717-787-2925 or visit www.dcnr.state.pa.us and click on "State Forests."